


The Concert

by heretherebemonsters



Series: Building by Design [6]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Developing Relationship, Kissing, M/M, letting him down easy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-05-02 01:12:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5228201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heretherebemonsters/pseuds/heretherebemonsters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sebastian plans a date night with a little help from Grell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Concert

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing you recognize.

Several weeks passed with several more dates. Each one was a unique and memorable affair that Sebastian enjoyed immensely. He grew more and more comfortable with Claude the more time they spent in one another’s company and Sebastian found himself thinking less and less about Will and the shambles his heart had been left in.

When Claude dropped Sebastian off at home after their fifth date, he walked Sebastian to his door as had become their custom. As Sebastian fished his keys out of his pocket, Claude shifted and suddenly asked, “What would you like to do next time, Sebastian? I feel like I’m running the show here.” He’d planned all their activities up till now, after all. “I don’t want you to feel like it has to be all about what I want all the time.”

Sebastian gave Claude a surprised look, pausing with his house key halfway to the deadbolt. “I don’t think that at all. I always enjoy whatever we do, Claude. Spending time with you is enough for me.” As soon as he realized what he’d said, he turned back to his front door in sudden embarrassment, flushing.

“Well, I always enjoy our time together too,” Claude said slowly. “Still, I think you should pick something for us to do next time.”

Sebastian turned to face the other man and offered him a shy smile. “Okay.”

“Good.” Claude sounded almost relieved and Sebastian had to wonder amusedly if it was due to the fact that Claude was perhaps running out of date night ideas. The older man leaned in to kiss Sebastian goodbye, sweetly and lightly. “Goodnight, Sebastian.”

“Goodnight, Claude.” Sebastian lingered in the doorway with the door half-open, watching Claude head back to his truck and then drive away. He locked up once the truck’s taillights could no longer be seen, fighting off the wave of disappointment that always came whenever the two of them parted ways. He chewed at his lower lip thoughtfully as he pondered the idea of planning their next date. He had no idea what to choose, short of having Claude come over and cooking for him, as he’d offered to on their very first date. He sighed as he hung up his keys by the garage door and stooped to pat Kali, who had appeared from the darkened living room, meowing softly.

Good thing he had another week to think about it.

++++

Sebastian’s predicament solved itself a couple of mornings later just after he’d settled into his chair at work. He’d hardly had a chance to get out the preliminary drafts of his latest project when his phone buzzed from its place near his elbow, the sound jarring against the hard surface of his desk. He jerked in surprise and then reached for the device, unlocking it to find that he had a text message from his closest friend, Grell.

_Hey hey! What are you doing this Saturday night? ___

Sebastian’s brow furrowed as he thought. Saturday was supposed to be his next date with Claude, the one that he was supposed to have something in mind for. The date which, as of yet, he had absolutely zero ideas for. Gnawing his lower lip, he texted back quickly. __

_I have a date that night. Why? ___

It took only scant moments for Grell’s reply to come back. _Ooooh a date! You didn’t tell me you were seeing someone, Bassy! ___

Sebastian felt a pricking of guilt. It was true; he hadn’t told Grell or any of his other friends that he had been going out with anyone. It wasn’t that he was ashamed or embarrassed of Claude. Far from it; he knew that he was lucky that a man as successful and handsome and altogether wonderful as Claude had taken an interest in him. Plenty of people would be jealous or envious of that and Sebastian had to admit that deep under the layers of insecurity, self-doubt and disbelief, Claude’s interest made him feel special, sexy, desired. Despite all that, he hadn’t wanted to tell anyone about their budding relationship just yet, on the off chance that it didn’t work out. He didn’t feel like fielding a multitude of curious questions after the fact like he’d done after he and Will had broken up.

_Sorry. Just wanted to be sure it wasn’t a one- time thing, you know? _He texted back.__

_Oh honey. Believe me, I understand. I’m happy for you!! And that’s a very good excuse for not going to the Avicii concert with me on Saturday night. ___

Sebastian huffed a laugh and typed out a short reply. _Are there even tickets left? ___

_No, it’s been sold out for weeks. But I bought four when I got mine. I was going with some people from work but they bailed. I sold one of the tickets and can’t seem to get rid of these last two. ___

Suddenly Sebastian’s mind seized on a possibility. He texted Grell back in a hurry. _I’ll buy them from you. I’m supposed to plan the date on Saturday and have been coming up with nothing. ___

_Oh great idea! And of course you can have them. Half price just for you, darling. ___

Sebastian grinned. _Thanks, Grell. I’ll swing by your place tonight after work and pick them up, okay? ___

_Alright hon. See you later! ___

And just like that, Sebastian had a plan for Saturday’s date night.

++++

Sebastian told Claude nothing of what lay in store for them on the weekend and the rest of the work week flew by, much to Sebastian’s relief. He stayed busy and met his deadlines and then proceeded to sleep late Saturday morning. Claude had let him know that he and his crew would be working a half day to get caught up on their latest build but he promised to be at Sebastian’s door by six o’clock sharp that evening. Sebastian had no doubt that Claude would be there. He was learning that the man was always good on his word.

Sebastian was excited to get going to the show by the time Claude pulled into his drive at five minutes to six. He’d dressed casually in dark wash jeans and a black v-neck that accentuated his slim but strong frame. It was simple but he thought that he still looked sharp enough. A last check of pockets ensured that he had his wallet, keys and phone. Kali followed him to the door, meowing crossly.

“Oh hush, I’ll be back later,” Sebastian scolded, reaching down to scratch behind her ears briefly.

He was just pulling the front door shut and testing the knob when Claude appeared from around the far side of his truck. “Leaving right away, are we?” he asked with amusement.

Sebastian nodded as he turned to greet the other man. “We have somewhere to be and we can’t be late.” He stepped in the direction of the truck’s passenger side but didn’t make it very far before he was stopped by Claude’s arm sliding around his waist.

“Are we in so much of a hurry that I can’t even get a kiss?” he teased, drawing Sebastian back toward him gently.

Sebastian laughed and twisted around. “Sorry. I’m just excited.”

Claude indulged him with an adoring smile. “It’s fine. It’s a good look for you.”

Sebastian flushed but leaned into Claude until their lips met. Kissing Claude was something he was slowly becoming more accustomed to but it still never failed to set his heart racing and his eyes fluttering closed. They still hadn’t done anything other than kiss, heatedly, and there were times that Sebastian felt a bit guilty about keeping Claude waiting. But the other man had been nothing but respectful and patient, displaying no signs whatsoever of irritation or resentment, which eased Sebastian’s mind.

When the two of them parted, Claude released Sebastian and walked with him over to the truck, opening the door for him as he always did. “So what are we doing anyway?” Claude asked, his golden eyes twinkling merrily.

Sebastian pulled out his wallet and extracted the two tickets tucked inside. He held them up for Claude to see. “I got us tickets to the Avicii show tonight, courtesy of my friend Grell.”

Claude’s eyebrows arched in surprise. “Wow. I heard it sold out a couple weeks ago.”

“It did but Grell had some extras after some people bailed on him.”

Claude grinned. “Fortunately for us. Shall we get going then?”

Sebastian settled into the passenger seat feeling rather satisfied with himself. It had crossed his mind that possibly Claude wouldn’t be into the idea of going to a concert or wouldn’t care to go to this particular one but it seemed the man hadn’t been lying when he said he was fine with doing whatever Sebastian wanted.

It turned out that Claude was actually something of an Avicii fan and knew more of their music than Sebastian did, and Sebastian considered himself well-versed in electronic music genres. Needless to say the concert outing was a resounding success. By the time it was over, they were both worn out from dancing and Sebastian had drank one too many beers. He was feeling a bit flirty and tipsy when they bumped into Grell on the way out.

Grell’s long flaming red hair was impossible to miss even among the crowd. Sebastian waved and shouted his friend’s name over the surrounding cacophony. When Grell looked around curiously for whoever had called him, he easily spotted Sebastian halfway across the lobby. He waved back and began moving in Sebastian’s direction, weaving his way through the other concert-goers.

Sebastian could pinpoint the exact moment that Grell realized that the taller man with the striking golden eyes standing just behind his shoulder was his date. Grell’s green eyes widened behind his red framed glasses as they swept along Claude’s frame from head to toe, taking him in appreciatively before his lips split into a wide smile that showcased straight white teeth. His gaze flicked to Sebastian and he gave a subtle nod, his unspoken way of saying that he approved of what he saw. Sebastian couldn’t help but grin back.

“Bassy!” Grell greeted once he was within earshot. “Great show, huh?”

Sebastian nodded enthusiastically as he stepped forward to embrace Grell briefly. “Yeah! It was awesome. Thanks again for the tickets.”

Grell let his gaze slide past Sebastian to rest on Cluade for a moment before meeting Sebastian’s eyes again. “No problem, hon. Glad it worked out for you.” There was an unmistakable glitter in Grell’s bright green eyes that spoke of his happiness for Sebastian and also his inevitable curiosity about the situation. Sebastian felt another prick of guilt for not having told his best friend about Claude and resolved to make time some afternoon in the near future to sit with Grell and catch him up on everything that had happened. It occurred to him also that Grell was unaware of Will’s impending wedding and the situation with his ring. Having to talk about that was a somewhat sobering thought; Sebastian pushed it away quickly, not wanting to dwell on that whole debacle right now, and hurried on to introducing his companions.

“Grell, this is Claude Faustus.” Sebastian motioned to the tall man standing quietly at his elbow before twisting to look up at him. “Claude, this is my best friend Grell Sutcliff.”

Claude offered Grell a dazzling smile as he stepped forward and presented a long-fingered hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Grell.”

Grell readily took Claude’s hand and gripped it firmly. “And you as well,” he replied, returning the friendly smile easily. Grell was a people person and always loved meeting new acquaintances, especially if said acquaintances meant something to Sebastian. Grell was also protective of those he cared about and Sebastian knew his friend would be spending his next handful of meetings with Claude sizing the man up. While Sebastian appreciated the effort he hoped that he wouldn’t have to have words with his friend about it.

The three of them traded anecdotes about the concert easily for a few minutes before Grell tactfully excused himself, his sharp eyes not missing the way that Sebastian seemed unable to move more than a foot away from Claude, keeping a slender hand always looped through the taller man’s elbow. Grell left with a knowing smile, but not before he’d finagled a promise from Sebastian to call him the next day.

Sebastian sighed as he watched Grell’s impressive mane of hair disappear into the crowd. “I’m ready to go home,” he informed Claude, looking up at him.

Claude smiled down at him gently, folding his hand over Sebastian’s own where it rested on his arm. “Alright, babe. Let’s go.”

Sebastian flushed a bit at hearing Claude’s pet name for him, still unused to such terms of endearment. But it made his heart flutter all the same, knowing that Claude thought of him that way. Sebastian held onto Claude’s hand across the center console in the truck all the way back to his townhouse.

Claude walked Sebastian to his door as per usual. As they stood under the porchlight, Sebastian’s keys already in his hand, Claude leaned in for a quick kiss. “Thank you for a lovely evening,” he murmured as he pulled away.

Sebastian moved quickly, stepping into the space Claude had just backed out of and reaching up with his free hand to loop slender fingers around the back of Claude’s neck. His lips caught Claude’s once more, moving in a sultry slide. Claude was frozen for the space of a heartbeat before he responded, kissing Sebastian in return. Sebastian felt a large hand land on his hip and pull him closer; his response was a playful nip to Claude’s lower lip, drawing a surprised gasp from the older man.

“Surely you don’t have to leave just yet,” Sebastian breathed out against Claude’s lips. “Why don’t you come inside?”

Claude stilled at the words. His fingers clenched at Sebastian’s hip for just a moment before releasing him entirely. He hastened to step away, putting a couple feet of distance between them. Sebastian’s brows furrowed at Claude’s reaction; it was obvious that he’d enjoyed the kissing and their closeness, if his slightly roughened breathing and faint flush was any indication.

Seeing Sebastian’s confused expression, Claude hurried to reassure him. “Believe me, Sebastian, I’d love to take you up on your invitation. You are more enticing than anyone else I’ve ever met.” He paused briefly and took a deep breath, as if to calm himself before continuing. “But you’re under the influence and if we are going to take things further than kissing on your porch, I’d rather you be sober and entirely present for it.” He shifted further away. “I don’t want you to regret anything the next day,” he added.

Sebastian took a moment to process his words as the flames of desire began to wane. He wanted to protest that he wouldn't regret anything they did; why else would he ask for it? But perhaps Claude was right in thinking they shouldn't be venturing into such intimate territory just yet even if they both wanted it. He couldn’t fault Claude for being so considerate but would he always be such a gentleman? Would he always treat Sebastian with kid gloves? “I’m not that breakable,” he muttered, an indignant tone lacing his voice as he resisted the urge to stomp his foot. He frowned, almost a pout, realizing that he was likely proving Claude’s point with his reaction.

Claude, being as good-natured as he was, just offered Sebastian a smile. “I know you’re not made of glass, Sebastian,” he said gently. “But I care about you and don’t want to do anything that may jeopardize our relationship. We have time. There’s no need to rush things.” He caught Sebastian’s gaze. “I’m not going anywhere, alright?”

Sebastian nodded after a moment. “Alright,” he agreed, a slight tremor in his voice. Claude’s words were unexpected but not unwelcome and the fact that he’d spoken so unhesitatingly and firmly went a long way in telling Sebastian that he meant what he’d said. He didn’t want to jump into anything before both of them were truly ready, not for lack of wanting on his part but because he cared for Sebastian as more than a quick lay for one night.

Though Sebastian is somewhat disappointed, he supposes as Claude kisses him goodnight, that he can live with that explanation for the time being.


End file.
